CMT DRIVES MUSIC DISCOVERY WITH THE LAUNCH OF NEW VIDEO GRAPHICS

02/26/10

NASHVILLE – February 26, 2010 – CMT has given the music video a 21st century makeover. Starting today, music videos on CMT will sport a distinctive new look which includes a new graphics treatment that displays artist and song title information at the top of the screen throughout the entire song. At the end of each video, the graphics will then rotate to display record label, album, director and songwriter information. Ringtone messaging is featured in each video for additional interactive opportunities utilizing CMT Mobile. The new graphics, which were created by CMT’s in-house team, is a music television first and allows the network to place even more emphasis on music discovery.

“We constantly hear about the country audience struggling to identify who sings what, and want to aid our artist and label partners in solving that,” said Jay Frank, senior vice president of music strategy, CMT. “Having an artist and title visible throughout each video allows us to position country artists better than any other outlet. With this change, CMT once again leads in cross-platform innovation and further emphasizes why we are consistently the top TV destination for country music discovery.”

The new video treatment launched today during music video hours, and will be featured during CMT TOP 20 COUNTDOWN premiering at 11:00 a.m. ET today. *Image courtesy of 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville.

Visit CMT's press-only Web site www.cmtpress.com for more information and downloadable photos on all of CMT's programming.

CMT, a unit of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 90 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.